Turkish Translation and Cross-Cultural Adaptation of the Pelvic Floor Dysfunction-SENTINEL Screening Tool: A Methodological Study.

Introduction and hypothesis: To translate and perform cultural adaptation of the Pelvic Floor Dysfunction-SENTINEL (PFD-SENTINEL) screening tool into Turkish and to establish its reliability and validity for female athletes.

Methods: The study included 200 female athletes (mean age 22 ± 4 years). The translation of the PFD-SENTINEL, which comprised the symptoms related to PFD and item sections related to general risk factors and sports-related risk factors, was performed in accordance with international recommendations. The severity of PFD symptoms was assessed with the Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory-20 (PFDI-20). Psychometric analyses consisted of assessing the following: internal consistency reliability using the Kuder-Richardson-20 (KR-20) coefficient, construct validity using confirmatory factor analysis, and criterion validity.

Results: The reliability was acceptable for the PFD-SENTINEL items assessed using the KR-20, at 0.581, indicating moderate internal consistency. All fit indices except standardized root mean square residual indicated a perfect fit for the final models. Criterion validity was supported by positive correlations between the PFD-SENTINEL symptom score and the PFDI-20 score (r = 0.724, p < 0.001) and between the PFD-SENTINEL item score and the PFIQ-20 scores (r = 0.334; p < 0.001).

Conclusions: The Turkish version of the PFD-SENTINEL is a reliable and valid instrument to screen for PFD in female athletes.